Astraphobia
by chalala-chan
Summary: Thunder rings through the guild, as Chupi buries herself deeper into her bedding. Can Blaze comfort her? Or will she always have to be afraid?


**Hey! Um, so yea, this is my first story so don't be too mean, ok? This is based on a male charmander and a female pikachu from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2. **

**Pokemon and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2 belong to Nintendo. Not me. Otherwise Misty would never have left, May would have burned in a ditch off the side of the road after being hit by my car (i don't have a grudge, not at all...), and James would have come out of the closet. (we ALL know about the banned bikini episode.) So, let's go!**

**Astraphobia**

FLASH!

"Eek!"

The little Pikachu burrowed deeper into her hay bed as yet another burst of blindingly white lightning was set forth from the heavens bringing with it the earth shattering roar of thunder.

With each bolt Zeus threw down to the surface, Chupi's thoughts would wonder to the storm that brought her here. Flashes of the great ocean thrashing her about quickly penetrated her mind. Being thrust against the rocks until her little body could take no more and would cry out in agony. Suffocating to point of unconsciousness only to open her eyes enough to peak at the waters that tortured her so. And the great sharpedo buff that gazed ever so menacingly at her.

She couldn't help but shiver at the imposing storm that unleashed all it's might just outside her window, as if just to mock her.

Meanwhile her, currently grumpy, charmander partner lazily opened an eye to look at her.

'What the heck is her problem?' He thought. But seeing his peculiar little partner desperately try to dig deeper into her bedding peaked his interest.

"Hey, Chupi?"

Chupi jolted slightly, such sound after the solo of the thunder's crackle slightly shocked her. Stopping her attempts to hide in the straw, she stuttered out a barely audible "y-yeah?"

The charmander, Blaze, was slightly confused by the tone of her voice: a thin veneer of feigned calmness over a deep sense of helplessness. This was not the brave Chupi he knew.

"What's wrong?" serious concern laced his words.

She didn't know quite what to say. She was uncomfortable spilling all her greatest fears, but she trusted him right? And he had faith in her, so she couldn't very well lie to him. She cherished him too much for that.

"I, erm, I mean to say that I…ever since that storm that made me lose my memory I've b-been…"she said breaking down into incoherent mumbles. She wouldn't lie to him, but it didn't make this any less difficult for her pride.

What is this? His ever so brave partner is fear stricken, the same Pikachu that never turns down a fight? Is this really Chupi, the one who through sandstorms and blizzards will stand in front of him and defend and protect him from Hippowdons and geodudes, despite the obvious advantage for her ground type foe?

This fraidy-cat side her was so…so funny!

He couldn't help but crack a smile

"Huh? What was that? I couldn't hear you."

She scrunched her eyes shut, "I'M AFRAID OF LIGHTNING, O.K?" she screamed, loose jolts of electricity slipping free from her cherry red cheeks. Her lips quivered one more time before she let loose another sob and smothered her face with her yellow paws.

He was silent.

And ever so confused.

"…But aren't you an _electric_ type?" he questioned while tipping his head to the side.

"I-I know. That's why I so e-embarrassed…"she whispered, lifting her head just enough to be heard before reassuming her fetal position.

He had gone too far. Seeing her curled in a ball so tight she might get lost in the straw bed, he knew he had gone too far. But in way seeing her like this sparked something in him. Not like the warm rising he gets from blasting a flamethrower at a flygon, but a jolt of realization running down his back like the time chupi accidentally zapped him in target practice.

Seeing her so vulnerable…it could only be described as weird. She was always so perky and righteous and fearless and brave and-he just forgot that she was still a pokemon, one with fears and problems like anyone else. Her personality has always been so larger than life that he always imagined her as invincible. But actually she's pretty small, tiny really now that he looks at her. How could she be seen as a Pikachu when she was practically the size of a pichu?

And finally seeing her for what she was fueled him.

"Chupi." It wasn't a question it was a demand.

The tone of his voice left her speechless, and a little shocked. A tone that dared her to make a sound, that he wanted no words, just action. She was always the one in front of the team, now he was taking charge? But she was thankful, she wanted, no, _needed_ someone to help and guide her. So she submitted to his demand and lifted her head to look at him.

His heart almost broke when he saw her tear stained fur. Salt droplets ebbing up in the corners of her chestnut eyes, with a quivering lip just begging to cry out again. Then he forgot what he was going say and went with the first thing that popped into his mind.

He wanted her next to him. _Now_.

"Come 'ere." He had slightly adjusted himself on his side so that there was a small pocket between his tummy and the wall off the straw nest. He closed his eyes and tried to look as nonchalant and cool as possible, tried to hide that fact that he would lose it if he looked her in the face right now, tried to not to show how freaked out he was, tried to focus on slowing down the beat of his heart so she wouldn't hear it. Oh, how he prayed to the almighty mew she couldn't hear it!

What the heck did he just do? What the _heck _did he just _do_? One moment she's crying, the next he's asking her into his bed? This probably looks wrong._ So_ wrong. But what was he to do when his best and truest and most awesomest friend was scared and crying? He was good in doing this, right? _Right_? Oh, mew what did he do? What did he _do_?

She stared at him for a while. What did he want from her? He told her to 'come 'ere' and opened a space in his bed just enough for –

Realization hit like freight train.

He wanted her to sleep next to him? Sure they had cuddled next to each other on missions when supplies were scarce and it was cold, because let's face it, Blaze _was _the ultimate blanket, but this was totally different. Before it was for survival, now…she didn't know what. But the very thought her being snuggled up against his warm chest, his arm around her, comforting her through the storm, it made blood rush up to her face and a shiver trace down her spine.

"I-I couldn't! I mean, -" but that another thunderous crash rang through the guild that shut her up.

"Just c'mere…Ok." He opened up his eyes and briefly saw her face before quickly averting his view to the ceiling. Was she blushing? It was hard to tell with her red cheeks, but she had such a shy, cute look in her eye. She may be one tough cookie, but she was still a _girl. _ And needed to comfort her.

And she wanted it just as much as he did.

So gently she placed her front paws on the night chilled dirt of the floor, and silently did a small hop out of her, now massacred, bed. There was a silent break of the storm and all that could be heard was the soft pitter-patter of her paws and the thumping heartbeats ringing in their ears.

Ever so slowly she crept up to his bed and stopped. She was unsure if she should just hop on in or slowly squeeze in or what. But Blaze caught on to her uncertainty and rolled his eyes with a breathy chuckle, cutting through air.

And he reached out to her.

In a flurry of straw, the lightning flashed once more as Blaze pulled Chupi into his chest. She immediately felt the heat that he radiated. But the fur that didn't touch him felt twenty degrees colder so she pressed herself further into him as to warm herself up.

As the straw finally settled back down she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, blooming out over Blaze's chest as he shuttered at the new flow of air. And suddenly she couldn't hear the thunder anymore over Blaze's heartbeat.

He shifted slightly as to allow her more room but accidently brushed her back. She felt so cold. Too cold. So he opted better to move himself so that she could curl herself up into him.

He slowly wrapped his arm around her tiny body. She tensed up. For a few frantic moments he wondered if he had done something wrong, if he made things more awkward, if he ruined "the moment". If this could be considered one. He secretly wanted it to be, but he knew better than to get his hopes up. That's what always led to his failures: hope. But ever since Chupi came it seemed like hope was a blessing, something to believe in. But as quickly as she had become rigid, she had loosened in his arms, even wriggling about to get deeper into his toasty warm grip.

She had expected him to smell like Sunflora's burnt cookies, but was pleasantly surprised when she took in his fiery smell of magic. That's all she could describe it as: magic, heated magic. She took a big gulp of his air to get a better taste. She found herself wondering if he tasted the same, if his lips tasted the same. Her tongue tingled from the thought.

Oh, she blinked back to reality and was quite flustered and embarrassed. She felt quick remorse, he was her partner, he trusted her, and she wouldn't break that bond. Never.

She teared up.

"Thank you, Blaze. Thank you, thank you…" she blubbered while turning her face away.

He couldn't take it anymore. He was sick of being shy. He was on a role already, so why not follow up?

He bolted up onto his knees and grabbed little Chupi for all she was. Picked her up and almost squeezed her to death. She was a little apprehensive at first, seeing as Blaze normally was the one needing the pep talk, but she quickly accepted it and returned his approach with as much passion he was putting out.

"Chupi. Chupi." He softly whispered, the warm air lapping his tongue and tickling her ear.

"Chupi, you don't have to always be so brave. It's okay to be scared. It's just you and me"

"B-but-"if there was one thing she hated, it was being considered weak: something that helped spark her grudge against Team Skull.

He knew her too well, "No, it's not being weak. It's called being having a soul." He already predicted what she was going to way, and he mentally laughed at this development.

She looked at him in wonder and amazement. How did he possibly know her so well? How did he manage to read her like a book? How did he know exactly what to say?

"And when you are scared, know, I'll always be there to, uh, protect you…" He slightly blushed at the last part, bringing his eyes to her red cheek that was rubbing against his own. He was very aware of the clichéness of this line and how lame he sounded, but he said what he meant, and being straightforward about his feelings was one of the qualities she loved about him.

She shifted back a little, while still in his arms, and gazed into his eyes. She looked for a glimpse of deceit, a smidgeon of lies, a sliver of mock, all the things that she had found in this world that made her so mistrusting, that forced her to be brave and strong, else she be used. But found nothing but trust and…love? And she tried to muster anything in her eyes to tell him she wanted this, she felt the same. She softly breathed "…ok."

He slowly laid her back down before hovering over her, resting his elbows on either side of her head, their noses mere inches from each other.

"Chupi, I-"

"Good night Blaze." And with that cutoff she gently lifted herself two inches and pressed her lips to his cheek. "We have a mission tomorrow, so we need to rest." She looked away, anywhere but his face, and brought up her paw up to her face hoping to cover the fierce blush she could feel pooling in her face.

After a few moments silence she finally let her eyes drift to his face. He was positively beaming at her, the little idget! His eyes seemed aglow and his smile almost broke his face. "Good night to you too, Chupi!" he half-yelled and, while laying down on his side grabbed her up again into a bear hug before planting a big smooch on her red cheek, a little static harmlessly zapped his lips, but that was fine. He mentally made a note to make sure he gets _very_ used to the zing.

He absolutely loved how cute she got when she was shy!

Grinning like an idiot, he wouldn't let go of her. So she resolved to stay like this. It was very warm and comfortable. And she forgot about the storm raging outside when she was wrapped up in his arms. They slowly drifted off to sleep; both knowing the next time a storm came would be very different.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"HEY GET UP AND- whoa!"

"Oh my. Hee hee"

"Dude, that's awesome."

"Wigglytuff approves."

Blinking their eyes while trying to rub the sleep out of them, Team Star looked up to find their fellow guild members circling them in curiosity.

"Hey what's going on?" Chupi drowsily mumbled, before looking down at their rather…compromising…position. "Ack!"

Blaze on the other hand hadn't moved. Was he even awake? Or was he crazy? Why would he

"Oh we need to hurry before Chatot finds out!" Bidoof worriedly begged.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Chatot, abruptly morphing out of nowhere, demanded in rage.

Blaze just slyly grinned in delight.

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**So yea, that's it. Sorry about the rambling, I have problems. But if you couldn't tell by now, Astraphobia is a fear of thunder and lightning. Um, I guess that's all I have to say so please R & R! This is my first fanfic and I'll take constructive criticism as long as you're not mean about it!**


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